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Friday, Aug 14, 2026

Are there maternity care deserts in Nevada?

Samantha Poblette, The Nevada Independent
yes

Nine of the state’s 17 counties lack an obstetric clinician and hospitals with a maternity ward.More than one-third of U.S. counties are maternity care deserts, according to the maternal and infant health nonprofit March of Dimes. This number is higher for rural counties, where nearly 58 percent lack obstetric clinicians.

Nevada’s northern rural counties, as well as Nye and Esmeralda, fit this pattern. 

Nationwide, 36.4 percent of the counties lack care for pregnant people and newborns. September 2026 will see another blow to maternity care in Nevada as Henderson Hospital will stop offering it along with NICU services. 

This will put families in Henderson, Boulder City and surrounding communities in what Executive Director of Nevada NOW Sue Burtch called “a health crisis, plain and simple.”

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The Nevada Independent is a nonpartisan, nonprofit news and opinion website founded in 2017 by veteran political journalist and commentator Jon Ralston. The site and its supporting channels are focused on ethical, unbiased and transparent journalism. In general, we aim to gather and disseminate important public information and increase civic engagement. We are supported by corporate donations, memberships, event ticket sales and sponsorships and foundation grants. We disclose all our members and donors. Donors have no influence over our content, ever. The Nevada Independent is the dba for Nevada News Bureau, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit founded in 2010 by Elizabeth Thompson, who now serves as one of The Nevada Independent's managing directors and its Editor.

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